About Us « Capitol West Academy

Capitol West Academy is a public school for grades K4 through 8 chartered through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. We are tuition free and open to all City of Milwaukee children. Average classroom size is 20-22. Students are required to wear uniforms.

Because children have different learning styles, we work with kids and parents to understand each child’s strengths and weaknesses and, within state standards, tailor teaching to meet individual needs and boost performance.

Our teaching focuses on reading, language arts, math and science and on analyzing content and making sound decisions. We follow a character-based curriculum that teaches responsibility, communication and social decision-making.

We provide a positive environment with an integrated curriculum, in which teaching on a given subject overlaps into various academic areas. We also incorporate service learning, which includes projects that involve the community, enhancing the academic curriculum and helping foster civic responsibility. All classrooms must complete at least one service learning project per semester, and structured time is provided for students and faculty to reflect on the service experience.

Parental involvement is critical to academic and social success, and we see parents as partners. For more information, click here.

We are committed to creating a safe, structured environment, producing students who are prepared academically and socially to enter high school and young adulthood confident and with a vision for success. We believe in the strength and determination of the human spirit, in the will of the individual, and that a quality education can help to overcome many of life’s obstacles.

Our educators understand how the structure and growth patterns of the brain affect learning. And they offer neurodevelopmentally informed, trauma-sensitive philosophy and practices that support the needs of all of our students.

We provide counseling support to students and families in collaboration with the School Based Services Program of St. Aemilian-Lakeside. Direct student services include classroom and small group guidance on topics such as bullying, safety, stress management, friendships and social skills. The counselor also helps CWA staff increase their knowledge about emotional and behavioral issues. Students and families who may be encountering a stressful life event, dealing with issues of trauma, mental health, violence, alcohol and drug abuse and poverty also may receive individual support. The work helps students effectively engage in the learning process and connects families with needed community resources.

Passport to Success

With our Passport to Success program, parents, teachers and students sign a yearly pledge to work together in three key areas: communication, partnership and commitment to lifelong learning. Daily communication between teachers and parents is required through what is called a “passport.”

The passport frames discussions on ethical values, behavior and personal choices and includes homework information. Staff and students discuss progress each day, then students take the passport home for parents to review and talk with them about the information teachers provide. Parents are required to sign and return the passport every day.

The program provides consistency, and the constant check-in helps create a school community that is truly caring. The program not only encourages success by setting clear goals and celebrating achievements, it also reduces disruptive behavior.

Capitol West Academy won state and national awards in 2010 from the Character Education Partnership for the passport program, which represents best practices in character education and serves as a model for other schools in the state. CWA also won a state character award in 2011 for a program called Good Character is Habit Forming. The program, based on Steven Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” narrowed the core values to respect, responsibility, honesty and achievement. Throughout the 2010-11 school year, each classroom developed daily activities, monthly assemblies and a student-led club to infuse 7 Habits of Happy Kids into the school’s life.